In a special operation conducted by the ISA and the IDF deep inside the Gaza Strip, the body of Netpong Pinta — a Thai national kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and murdered shortly afterward — was recovered and returned to Israel. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the abduction and execution were carried out by the terror group Kataeb al-Mujahideen at the onset of the war.
Pinta’s body was retrieved from the Rafah area by combined forces from the Gaza Division, Oketz Unit, Yahalom, and additional specialized units. As in the previous mission to recover the remains of Gadi and Judy Weinstein z”l, the operation was enabled by critical intelligence obtained during the ISA’s interrogation of a captured terrorist, who provided information on the burial location. Following the recovery and forensic examination, Pinta’s identity was confirmed and his remains were brought back to Israel.
Closure After 20 Months
Born in 1988, Netpong Pinta was married and the father of one child. He worked in agriculture at Nir Oz and was kidnapped alive during the October 7 terror assault on the kibbutz. The complex and precise rescue operation was made possible through close coordination between the IDF, the ISA, and additional Israeli intelligence services.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar briefed his Thai counterpart, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, on the details of the operation. A state ceremony is planned to take place at Ben Gurion Airport before Pinta’s remains are flown back to Thailand. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that its consular division will assist with the transfer, and that Israeli Ambassador Orna Sagiv will lay a wreath on behalf of the State of Israel upon the casket’s arrival in Thailand.
Hostages and Missing Families Forum: “Certainty is a basic human right”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement: “The families of the hostages embrace Netpong’s family. His return is the fulfillment of a moral duty that allows for closure. After 20 horrific months — there is finally certainty.” The forum reiterated its call for the return of all remaining hostages, both living and deceased: “This war cannot end in victory without the return of all 55 hostages still in Gaza.”
